Photos

Mr West described seeing "fireball after fireball" hurtle out of the firefront, sending a wall of flames he estimated to be seven storeys high into the sky, in what was the "most intense" grassfire he'd ever seen on the Sunshine Coast.

"It went up so quick," Mr West said.

"There was fireball after fireball about seven storeys high."

Fanned by blustery winds, the blaze continued east, headed towards the Aura estate.

Businesses at the nearby Sunshine Coast Industrial Park were evacuated, and bush and building were hosed down in preparation of an assault to protect property.